


When a Warden Comes Knocking

by achievement_huntresss



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Creative Liberties Taken With How the Rift Works, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Flips off the Maker and Walks Backwards into the Fade, Grief/Mourning, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Timeline What Timeline, probably lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 17:47:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30092802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achievement_huntresss/pseuds/achievement_huntresss
Summary: The Inquisitor makes an impossible decision - he leaves Warden Alistair in the Fade. This decision does not go over well.Especially with the Hero of Ferelden.
Relationships: Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	When a Warden Comes Knocking

**Author's Note:**

> I will take a hammer and FIX the canon!!
> 
> I actually had Stroud get left behind in all my playthroughs, and only found out Alistair was a choice when my friend brought up her playthrough (and she LEFT HIM!!!! D: I was shocked.) I figured since there's so many fics of Hawke being rescued or making their way out of the Fade, why not give my boy Alistair his own knight (or, Warden) in shining armor to come save him??
> 
> This takes heavily from the fanon that the Warden is much more powerful than Hawke or the Inquisitor, which I fully believe and support, even if I love Hawke and Inky lol
> 
> Anyways, Enjoy!!!!!

Trevelyan the Inquisitor sat numbly at his desk, as he had for the past few days. The Inquisition was wisely giving him space, although Dorian and Cole would occasionally stop by his room or office to make sure he was eating and sleeping. He'd survived the Fade, but at a serious cost. He felt as though the demons had followed him out, him and Hawke falling out of the Fade together, the horrible silence that met them as the rest of the Inquisition took in the missing man, the grave looks on both their faces.

Alistair had been left behind.

Trevelyan blinked blearily at the window, noting that the sun was rising. He figured now was probably the best time to sneak out of his room and get some food - no one else would be awake yet. They'd been giving him space, yes, but Maker was he tired of their sympathetic stares. He was exhausted and ready to just continue on with the Inquisition. He didn't want to deal with these... feelings.

He walked through the halls, pulling his shawl closer to himself. There was a chill in his bones, one that Trevelyan wasn't quite sure was just from the cold. He spotted Cassandra down the hall and quickly ducked down a different hallway to avoid her. He'd avoided the war room as much as possible since he and Hawke returned, but he knew he couldn't hide forever. As sympathetic as his friends and comrades were, he knows Cullen and Leliana will be after him soon, Josephine hot on their heels.

Trevelyan finally makes it to the main hall, grabbing an apple from a bowl on a table. He sees Hawke and Varric sitting at another table, practically glued to each other. Ever since they made it out of the Fade, that's how the two were. He wondered briefly if anything is there, then barely holds back his snort. He could imagine Cassandra's reaction to that, not only concealing Hawke's whereabouts from the Seeker, but keeping their relationship secret? He could practically see the steam pouring from her ears now.

Varric looks up then, catches Trevelyan's eye. He waves him over. Trevelyan sighs internally and walks over, tightening his grip on his shawl.

"Good morning," he says politely.

Varric grins. "Good morning, Inquisitor!" He says, sounding like he's forcing himself to be cheerful. 

Hawke looks up then, as if noticing him for the first time. "Ah, morning Inquisitor."

"How are you holding up?" Trevelyan asks.

Hawke snorts. "About as well as you are, I assume."

"Crushing guilt, lack of sleep, constantly wondering if I made the right choice to leave an innocent man in the Fade to die?"

"About sums it up, yeah," Hawke retorts.

Varric frowns. "Well, not that it matters, but I for one am glad you brought Hawke back to m- us. Someone else can save the world for once."

Trevelyan sighs. "It wasn't an easy choice-"

Varric puts his hands up, looking vaguely panicked. "I didn't mean it like that! Andraste's knickers - I - Alistair was a Grey Warden. This is what they're trained for, what they're destined to do. It doesn't make it any less upsetting, but-"

"I know. I'm sorry Varric, I'm just..." Trevelyan runs his hand through his hair, wincing at how tangled it it. "I'm so tired."

"Trust me, I know how that feels," Hawke nods, then suddenly looks grim. "Don't look now, but more exhaustion is on its way."

"Inquisitor!" Trevelyan groans and turns to see Leliana and Josephine walking over to him. Behind them, Cullen and Iron Bull are entering the room, deep in a discussion. Trevelyan is unsurprised to see Cassandra, Dorian, and Cole filing in behind them. _Great. They're all ambushing me_ , he thinks.

"Good luck, kid," Hawke says, turning back to his mug of what Trevelyan hopes is tea and not ale this early in the morning. Although, Trevelyan feels like he might need ale if today will go the way he thinks it will.

"Oh good, Hawke and Varric are with you," Leliana says, reaching the trio. She puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We've received word that-"

A pounding on the main door interrupts them all, all conversation goes quiet. A guard from outside shouts something unintelligible from outside, and the sharp sound of a spell being cast and a thud against the door makes everyone spring to action. They all draw their weapons (and Trevelyan is 1. unsurprised that all of his comrades carry theirs with them always and 2. horribly unprepared for this) and the group faces the door.

It slams open and a tiny Elven woman storms in. Her eyes and hands are flickering with pure mana, and she looks fucking _pissed_.

"Where is he?!" She roars. " _WHERE IS HE_?!"

"Stand down," Trevelyan says, trying for calm. "Who are you talking about? Who are you?"

The Elf draws her staff, pointing it directly at Trevelyan. "Where is Alistair?"

Trevelyan's eyes widen. He takes in the Elf's appearance - pale skin with a blue Elven tattoo on her face, red hair to her chin, blue and white cloth under silver armor -

"You're-" He starts, when Cullen gasps.

"Neria?" He steps forward, lowering his sword.

She turns her gaze to him. Her eyes widen as well, and her staff dips, ever so slightly. "Cullen? No- You-"

"Sweet Andraste," Leliana breathes out. "Neria, I haven't- Where have you-"

"Is anyone going to fill me in?" Dorian asks, a spell still readying at the end of his staff. 

The Elf- Neria - stands taller. She places her staff at her back and turns to glare at the present members of the Inquisition. "I am Neria Surana. I am a Grey Warden. I am-"

"The Hero of Ferelden," Trevelyan breathes out. All of his companions - except Cullen and Leliana - turn to look at him in shock.

"The Hero-?" Cassandra gasps.

"Wait, then how does-" Varric starts, turning back to Cullen, who is now approaching a much calmer Warden.

"We met when I was a Templar. I never-" Cullen looks so surprised, Trevelyan would laugh if the situation weren't so incredibly tense.

"Well, good to see you too, Cullen," the Warden actually cracks a smile. She glances over to Leliana. "You too, Leliana. It's been a while."

Leliana crosses her arms. "You never answered my letters."

"I was busy in the West. We were tracking down leads on -" the Warden shakes her head and turns her attention back to Trevelyan. "It doesn't matter. Where is Alistair?"

The room once again goes silent. Hawke steps slightly behind Varric. Trevelyan steps forward, ignoring the warning glances from Iron Bull and Cole. 

"We went into the Fade and we were trapped by a Nightmare demon. We- Alistair stayed behind to distract it so we could make it out of the rift," Trevelyan's voice cracks, and he clears his throat before continuing. "Alistair wanted to atone for everything that the Grey Wardens had done."

The Warden lets out a horrible scream and charges forward. Cullen grabs her around the middle and holds her back, wincing as electricity courses along her body. Leliana rushes forward to help him hold the Elf down, looking distraught as she does so.

"What gives you the right?" The Warden yells, voice terrible.

Trevelyan opens his mouth, then closes it. He can't come up with anything to say.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Neria-" Leliana tries, "Alistair made his choice. Inquisitor Trevelyan did not force him to stay behind-"

"No-" The Warden's quieter now, heartbreak clear in her voice. "No..."

Leliana looks up at Trevelyan. "We've got her. Go."

Trevelyan nods and helps usher everyone else out of the room.

\----

Trevelyan sighs, rubbing at his temples. The war room was more tense than usual today, with Leliana and Cullen gone, and Josephine doing her best to act like nothing was amiss. He's walking back to his office when he spots Cullen and the Warden in the middle of what seems to be a hushed argument.

"What's going on?" Trevelyan asks.

Cullen jump, turning around. "Inquisitor! I- Nothing. Just-"

"Two old friends catching up," the Warden says. She looks as exhausted as Trevelyan feels. "Right Cullen?"

"R-Right! Well, I must be off- important Inquisition duties to attend to!" He hurries off, leaving an amused Inquisitor and Warden behind.

"Good to see he still gets extremely flustered easily," the Warden says.

"You should see him when Dorian and I flirt with him," Trevelyan snorts. 

The Warden laughs. It's a light sound - like a bell. "Oh, we used to flirt with him back in the day too. He was adorable."

"How exactly do you know Cullen? Leliana I get - she's told us about her travels with you. But-"

"How does a Templar know a mage like me?" He nods. She laughs again. "Templars used to guard the Circle mages. I was one of them before I joined the Wardens. Cullen was... more or less a friend? My Gods has he grown. He was a boy back then, barely nineteen." She smiles bitterly, eyes a lifetime away. "He had a bit of a crush on me, if I recall."

Trevelyan turns to look down the hall where Cullen disappeared. He glances back to the Warden, arms over her chest, folding in slightly on herself. He looks at his door, his one last chance at hiding from everyone for the rest of the day and sighs. "Want to come in for some tea?"

The Warden startles. She looks at him, as if trying to see if it's a trick. When all she sees is sincerity, the tenseness leaves her shoulders slightly and she nods. "I- I would like that. Thank you."

Trevelyan opens the door and invites her in. He tidies up a bit while she sits at the tiny table under the window. He packs up books and parchment, tossing them onto his desk and onto shelves. He finally finds his underused tea set, and sets up the kettle over the fire with water from the pitcher on the dresser. The silence while he prepares the tea is nice, and he's grateful that the Warden doesn't chatter like some of his friends in the Inquisition. He likes them, he really does, but sometimes he grows tired of endless talking.

He finishes up preparing the tea and hands it to the Warden, her murmuring thanks as she raises the cup to her lips. He sits across the table from her and blows on his tea, not drinking it just yet.

"I just... I wanted to apologize, Inquisitor."

"You don't have to-"

The Warden sighs. She sets her cup down and looks at Trevelyan. "No. How I acted... Attacking your guards, yelling at you, storming in... It's unacceptable. For anyone, but especially for me." she runs a hand through her tangled red hair. "I am a Grey Warden. I'm the _Hero of Ferelden_ ," she sneers at the title. "I shouldn't be acting like such... such a child."

"I promise you, you acted in... an appropriate way," Trevelyan says, choosing his words carefully. "If I lost someone that close to me, I'm sure I would react in a similar fashion."

The Warden snorts. "Close to you, eh? Alistair talk about me? About... us?"

"He called you 'my love'. He... wanted to join back up with you. Be with you forever."

The Warden squeezes her eyes shut, but her voice is steady when she speaks again. "That romantic old fool." She opens her eyes and looks at Trevelyan. "Did you know he could have been King?"

"Really?"

"Bloodlines and politics." She waves her hand around. "He chose to remain a Grey Warden with me." She snorts. "Not like it did him much good in the end. I can only imagine what it would have been like if he'd..." she trails off, eyes a thousand miles away.

"What was it like?" Trevelyan asks, voice barely a whisper.

"What was what like?"

"Being a Grey Warden. Back then."

The Warden smiles bitterly. "It was hard work. Imagine leading the Inquisition with even less support than Cullen informs me you have. We were wanted for high treason and hunted at every moment of our lives. But..." She sighs, running a finger around the rim of her teacup. "We always had each other. Even after it all. When I was rebuilding the Wardens... and he hunted darkspawn leftover from the Blight."

Trevelyan nods. "Were you happy?"

"I think so." She looks up, meets his eyes. "He made me happier than I ever dreamed possible. Alistair was more than I ever deserved. I can only hope... I made his days easier as well."

"You did. The way he spoke about you..." Trevelyan reaches and takes one of her hands in his own. "He loved you to the very end."

"A very wise woman once told me that love may not last forever, but its worthiness is not diminished because of it," she says, tears gathering in her eyes. "Inquisitor. May I ask for a favor?"

"Anything."

"Allow me to go into the Fade. I-" She pulls her hand back to wipe at her eyes. "Alistair deserves a burial. A funeral, back in Ferelden."

"I-" Trevelyan's mouth is suddenly very dry.

"Trevelyan-" She looks up at him, urgently taking his hands in her own. "Please. He- The man who practically raised him. Duncan - another Grey Warden - we never found his body... Never buried him. At least allow me to give that to Alistair."

Trevelyan swallows. "I'll... I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything but..." He sighs and squeezes her hands, looking up at her. "Alistair was a fine man. He deserves this much at least."

\----

"You want to WHAT?!" Leliana shouts. Josephine is looking at him incredulously, Cullen looking quite pale. 

Trevelyan winces. "Keep your voice down-"

"I will not! You barely made it out of there with your life, and now you want to reopen a rift to send Neria - the Hero of Ferelden in there on her own?!" Leliana has never looked angrier in Trevelyan's entire time of knowing her.

"If anyone could survive it, it's Neria. But-" Cullen starts. Leliana whirls around and points at him.

"You have no room to speak about her!" Leliana faces Trevelyan again. "Inquisitor, I know you just want to do what you believe is right but the Warden... She's grieving. She isn't thinking straight." Leliana sighs. She looks 10 years older than she really is. "She'll get herself killed out there."

"Then I'll go in her stead-"

"No!" Leliana shouts. "We cannot afford to lose you. Losing Alistair was bad enough. I will not allow this."

Josephine clears her throat. "If I may..." She glances between a fuming Leliana, a more-or-less cowering Cullen, and an Inquisitor standing firm. "I think it would be a good idea to get the Warden on our side. She's not only the Hero of Ferelden, but if I recall correctly, she was also rebuilding the Grey Wardens. Getting in her good graces would be beneficial."

"She's already in our good graces. She and I were friends," Leliana argues.

"Years ago." Josephine says, not unkindly. "That may be a reason to show up, but allowing her to properly grieve and bury her love could be reason for her to stay and fight."

Leliana throws her hands up. "Fine. But the Inquisitor stays here." She turns to face Trevelyan. "You stay here, open and close the rift. You do not allow anyone to go inside of it. If she doesn't make it out, you... you leave her there." Leliana winces at her own words, but recovers quickly, staring expectantly at Trevelyan.

"Understood," Trevelyan says. Josephine nods in encouragement and Cullen has an unreadable look on his face.

Leliana sighs, her shoulders drooping. "Josie, with me. I suspect we have letters to write." Josephine follows her out of the war room, as Leliana mumbles, "Zevran and Sten, of course. Possibly Wynne if we can track her down..." The two disappear our of the room, the door closing behind them.

Trevelyan faces Cullen, still looking lost in thought. "Cullen?"

"What? Sorry," Cullen startles and looks up. "I just... I can't believe you're allowing this. It's..."

"Crazy, I know. But when has the Inquisition ever shied away from crazy?"

Cullen cracks a smile at that. "I suppose."

"I need you and your men to protect the rift when I open it. Who knows what'll come spilling out of there."

Cullen nods. "Of course."

\----

"You need to make it quick. I've been ordered to close the rift after 10 minutes, with or without you," Trevelyan tells the Warden as they start setting up to open the rift.

The Warden nods. She taps her fingers on her staff, not in nervousness, no, with a sort of manic energy. "Easy."

Trevelyan lets out a surprised laugh. The Warden shoots him a quick smile, before they face back to where the rift will open. Trevelyan turns to face Cullen who nods.

"Ready!" The Commander calls to him.

Trevelyan nods and turns back. "I'm going to open it now," he tells the Warden.

"Well we haven't all day," she says. Trevelyan almost laughs, but his grin turns into a grimace of pain as the energy flows through his arm into the rest of his body, feeling like the Fade is ripping through every molecule of his body. The Rift opens, until it is wide enough for the Warden to run through. "Go," he grits out.

Without another comment, the Warden takes off, sprinting into the rift and disappearing into the green light. Demons and darkspawn come pouring out, but Cullen's men has them covered. Cullen himself stands at Trevelyan's back, protecting him from their attacks so he can solely focus on closing the rift as soon as the Warden comes back out.

Or the time runs out.

Whichever happens first.

A couple of close calls later, Cullen shares a worried look with Trevelyan. "Time's almost up," the Commander says.

"I know," Trevelyan spits out. He grist his teeth so hard he fears they might shatter. "Just a little longer-"

A figure appears at the rift. Trevelyan braces himself for another attack, Cullen moving to shield him. The figure grows larger until it comes tumbling out - the Warden, clutching Alistair to her chest as they tumble to the dirt. Trevelyan lets out a pained scream as he shuts the rift, pain causing him to fall to his knees. 

He comes back to himself, blinking the black from his vision. Cullen helps him to his feet and they approach the two Wardens on the ground. The Warden looks up at them, tears tracking through the dust and grime on her face, magic still crackling around her. She clutches Alistair to her chest tightly, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Warden-" Trevelyan pants out.

"You found him," Cullen says in wonder.

The Warden nods, still looking slightly dazed. Trevelyan suddenly feels a wave of pity roll through him. He kneels in front of her, meets her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Alistair stirs.

"Sorry for what?" Alistair mumbles out, shifting slightly to face Trevelyan.

Cullen nearly falls over. Trevelyan's jaw drops. The Warden lets out a laugh, more of a breath than a real laugh.

"You stubborn ass," she says, looking down at Alistair.

Alistair smiles up at her, loopy and in love. "But I'm _your_ stubborn-" She laughs and kisses him, cupping his hollowed cheek gently with the hand not supporting his neck. He's thin and pale and looks like he's been dragged through hell, but Alistair is alive and breathing in the Warden's arms.

Cullen seems to recover from his shock, which is good, because Trevelyan doesn't think he's there yet. Cullen clears his throat, the two Wardens pulling away from each other to look at him, Alistair amused, the Warden less so. "Um.. How... How did you-"

Alistair smiles, looking slightly less like a corpse than he had when he'd first stirred. "I'm a fucking Grey Warden, Cullen."

The Warden laughs, leaning her head down to bump it against Alistair's forehead. Trevelyan doesn't think he's seen two happier people in his life. He smiles, standing. He turns to Cullen. "We should give them some space."

Cullen nods, and the two start walking off. "Not to mention explain this to Leliana."

Trevelyan laughs, looking back at the couple. "I think they can explain for themselves."


End file.
